Grifols' origin lies in the laboratory founded in 1940 in Barcelona by Dr Josep A. Grífols Roig, a hematologist and scientist (although its origin dates back to the Instituto Central de Análisis Clínicos, a company founded in 1909 by Josep Antonio Grífols Roig, which will be a pioneer in Spain in clinical analysis and in the introduction of blood conservation and transfusion techniques).[4] His son, Dr Josep A. Grifols Lucas was the first researcher to publish the plasmapheresis procedure in 1952.[5] The company introduced its liquid IVIG product into the European market in the mid-1990s.
Probitas Pharma, S.A. was incorporated with high limited liability under Spanish law on 22 June 1987; on 27 June 2005 the company changed its name to Grifols, S.A.[6][self-published source] In 2003 the company acquired certain assets of the Los Angeles–based Alpha Therapeutic (US subsidiary of Mitsubishi Pharma) as the basis of its American expansion.[7] On May 17, 2006, Grifols securities were listed on Spain's Mercado Continuo.[8]
In 2009, CSL Limited attempted to takeover Talecris Biotherapeutics (the former plasma business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, Biological Products Division)[9] for $3,1 billion but was stopped by the Federal Trade Commission.[10] On June 1, 2011, a year after announcing the $4 billion deal, Grifols completed a takeover of Talecris Biotherapeutics, headquartered in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, with over 2000 employees.[11]
Grifols acquired the blood transfusion diagnostics unit from Novartis in 2013 as a "platform for global expansion".[3] This unit is based in Emeryville, California and was a part of Chiron acquired by Novartis in 2006.[3]
In 2015, the company acquired a 45% stake in Alkahest as part of planned co-development of "plasma-based products for the treatment of cognitive decline in aging and disorders of the CNS, including Alzheimer's."[12] In 2020 Grifols acquired the remaining stock of Alkahest “bringing its ownership of Alkahest to 100%”.[13]
In December 2016, Grifols acquired Hologics interest in their existing joint blood screening unit for $1.85 billion[14]
In February 2022, Biotest AG and four other companies were fined by the Romanian Competition Council for having limited or interrupted the supply of essential immunoglobins with the goal of pressuring the government into removing a tax on their blood products from 2015 to 2018.[15] Biotest was acquired by Grifols in April 2022.[16]
In 2007 the company had 3.6 million litres per year of blood fractionation capacity from three plants, one at Parets del Vallès near Barcelona in Spain (2.1 million litres per year), another in Los Angeles (1.5 million litres but being expanded to 2.2 million litres), and a site in Clayton, North Carolina. In the United States the company owns 230 plasmapheresis centres, where it collects around 5.8 million litres of plasma per year.[citation needed]
€6.064 billion (2022)
